The Riata Inn is an independent, single-story, four-year-old motel in Crystal City, TX. The owner has four other Riata Inns (Rankin, Marfa, Presidio, and somewhere else in Texas). My stay was the night of May 26, 2006.

I'd initially stopped at the brand-new, appealing Texan Inn in Carrizo Springs, TX, but it was sold out. The manager said that the Riata Inn -- the only other non-dive motel in the area -- still had rooms, so I drove the nine miles to it.

Upon my arrival, the lovely and personable desk clerkette said that I'd shown up just in time, because they had just one room left -- a handicapped room. I took it, paying in advance.

The room's air conditioner had not been on all day (95 F. heat), but the unit was strong, and it cooled the larger-than-expected room fairly rapidly. The bathroom was huge (for wheelchairs). The shower had a curtain and a sloped floor (for drainage), and the shower "head" was on a snaked wire, removable from a... more